Teacher Says Gen Alpha 'iPad Kids' Have Emotional Intelligence Skills She's Never Seen Before
“Gen Alpha both intrigues and terrifies me.”
Helena Lopes / Canva Pro While many teachers have immersed themselves in the widespread discussion surrounding the behavior of Generation Alpha students, otherwise characterized as "iPad kids," one teacher particularly observed a high level of emotional intelligence in some of these students.
The teacher took to TikTok to share an experience she witnessed among her 10-year-old students and how they were able to resolve conflict.
Elysse Landy, a fifth-grade teacher, shared her positive take on teaching a class of Gen Alpha students. She noticed how some of the kids appeared to be very emotionally mature.
“I feel like they're being raised by a generation of parents who have been to therapy, are breaking those generational trauma cycles, ending it with them, and it really shows in some of these kids,” Landy shared.
She explained how she noticed a dispute arise among two of her students recently, who are aged 10 to 11 years old.
Before she had a chance to step in, one of the kids calmly addressed how he recognized the other student “had a lot going on,” and he was projecting that onto him. He suggested they both wait until they could “both be calm about it” to discuss the situation maturely.
Landy was shocked by how easily the child was able to manage his emotions and alleviate the situation without taking things personally — something many adults still don’t understand how to do.
While there are negative implications to screen time contributing to Gen Alpha’s development, with balance, there can be positive effects.
Excessive screen time, emotionally drained parents, and growing up in a digital age are all factors that can certainly diminish the development of Gen Alpha. Yet, with balance, there can be benefits to the use of technology in young children’s lives.
There is a world of knowledge and education that can easily be accessed online to open up the minds of these young, impressionable kids.
Being born into a digital world does not necessarily signify a generation of underperforming kids. Their emotional and academic development ultimately depends on parental awareness of the effects technology has on their children so they can implement balance and structure.
In fact, Common Sense Education is advising schools to implement a media-balanced curriculum for every grade level to help contribute to their education in a positive and healthy way.
While many are concerned for the future of Gen Alpha, there is a glimmer of hope for the kids with parents who are actively involved in their development.
Landy explained how if she had been involved in an argument with another student in class when she was only 10, she likely would have cried and told the teacher. She and many others expressed their awe at the emotional intelligence of some of these young kids.
Gen Alpha and their seemingly intolerable behavior in the classroom has stirred controversy regarding millennials’ poor parenting. However, some of these parents are becoming aware of the potential risks they are posing on their children’s lives, and they’re changing their methods.
Many millennial parents are also making the effort to rewire their minds to respond to conflict with maturity, and they’re passing on these lessons to their kids.
With the combination of having actively involved parents and a balance of technology use, it is likely that Gen Alpha is capable of fostering a deep understanding of self-awareness and empathy from a young age.
Francesca Duarte is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team based in Orlando, FL. She covers lifestyle, human-interest, and spirituality topics.